Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg welcomed the news that the Commission has “failed for the fifth time in a row” to gain sufficient support to renew glyphosate’s licence.

Ms Achterberg called on the Commission to back a ban as the “tables are turning” on glyphosate, which she labelled as “the asbestos of our generation”.

The European Parliament yesterday backed a full ban on glyphosate-based herbicides by December 2022.

Over 350 MEPs voted in favour of the motion, which also seeks a complete ban on household use and a ban on farming use when biological alternatives work well for weed control.

MEPs did back a Commission plan to limit the amount cadmium – classed as carcinogenic to humans – allowed in mineral fertiliser products sold across Europe to 20mg/kg.

Cautious welcome from NGOs

The Parliament’s proposal is a “breath of fresh air” according to Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg, although she said that that the phase-out period is “longer than technically needed”.

Friends of the Earth Ireland Director Oisin Coghlan welcomed the move, while also stating that he “would have preferred a short lead-in period to the ban”.

Both NGOs are now calling on the European Commission to follow the Parliament’s lead.

“The Commission needs [to] copper-fasten the deadline for the phrase out of glyphosate in no more than 5 years,” said Mr Coghlan.

Ms Achterberg said that it is time for the Commission and national governments to listen to the people of Europe who support a ban on glyphosate.

A petition signed by 1.3 million people across Europe was delivered to the European Commission (EC) in July calling on the EU to ban glyphosate.

The petition also called on the EC to reform the pesticide approval procedure and to set EU-wide mandatory reduction targets for pesticide use.

RoundUp Monsanto Photo: Mike Mozart

Glyphosate Controversy

The EU risk assessment process of renewing the substance’s license has been mired in controversy.

However, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has said that there isn’t enough scientific evidence currently available to prove that glyphosate causes cancer, with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) arriving at the same conclusion in November 2015.

However, in a letter sent to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker in March, a group of 30 MEPs questioned the validity of a study used by the EFSA in its assessment. According to the letter, the study was co-authored by a former Monsanto employee.

MEPs discussed the “Monsanto Papers” at a public ENVI hearing last week. The Papers include a host of documents from US regulators and US scientists, as well as thousands of pages of internal Monsanto emails, memos and other documents.

She also said that the Paper reveals how Monsanto “enlisted” three EPA officials to block a 2015 Glyphosate Review by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that “Monsanto said would likely agree with IARC”.

About the Author

Sorcha McManigan

Sorcha has a Degree Honours in Journalism with French from DIT and is passionate about social issues and radio production